1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an initialization of a rewritable recording medium, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for initializing a rewritable recording medium that allows a data recording and its initialization to be performed.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, a rewritable recording medium requires its initialization process prior to a data recording. This initialization process is classified into a physical initialization and a logical initialization. The physical initialization means such a process that divides the entire area of a recording medium into each sector unit to give an address and detects a defect area to register it into a specified area. The logical initialization means such a process that divides the recording medium into each corresponding area in accordance with the standard for a convenient recording/reproduction and a changeability between each recording medium. In this physical initialization process, a certification process of detecting and registering the defect area is an important process for assuring the responsibility, but it has a problem in that it requires too much time. Accordingly, it must wait for a considerably long time required for the initialization process so as to record a data onto the recording medium. Also, it causes the cost increase when a recording medium manufacturer carries out the initialization.
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a drive for driving the conventional rewritable recording medium. In FIG. 1, the drive 10 is connected to a host computer 20 to record a user data applied from the host computer 20 onto the recording medium under control of the host computer 20, and to reproduce the user data from the recording medium and transfer the reproduced data to the host computer.
FIG. 2 is a flow chart for explaining an initializing method of the conventional rewritable recording medium. Referring to FIG. 2, in steps 1 and 2, if a rewritable recording medium is loaded into the medium in the drive 10, then a drive 10 is initialized. Then, the host computer 20 executes an initializing program under an initialization command from a user and, at the same time, transfers the successive commands to the drive 10. Accordingly, in steps 3 and 4, the drive 10 responds a command transferred from the host computer 20 to perform a recording or reproducing operation with respect to the recording medium, thereby initializing the recording medium.
In the initialization process of the recording medium, the drive 10 firstly performs a physical initialization for the recording medium. More specifically, the drive 10 records a certain data, that is, a test data onto each sector and thereafter reproduces the recorded data to thereby perform certification process for confirming an error occurrence. If an error is detected beyond the standard in the certification process to be considered as a bad sector, then the bad sector is registered into a specified area of the recording medium.
When such a physical initialization process is completed, the drive 10 performs a logical initialization for the recording medium under control of the host computer 20. This logical initialization standard is different depending on a type of recording media, but there is a tendency to converge into an existing standard for the purpose of a changeability between the media and a changeability between the computers. For example, the logical standard applied to a DVD-RAM is as shown in FIG. 3.
In FIG. 3, the front part and the rear part of the physical area given an address in a sector unit is set to a lead-in area 12 and a lead-out area 18, thereby allowing the drive 10 to be used optionally. The remaining area is a logical area in which a user data can be recorded. The logical area is set to a manager area 14 and a user data area. The standard of the manager area 14 may be different depending upon the standard of a recording medium. Also, it is prescribed in the DVD-RAM standards that a defect management area(DMA) should be included in the physical area. Accordingly, the DMA is established in the lead-in area 12 and the lead-out area 18.
As described above, the rewritable recording medium does not enter a state in which a user data can be recorded until the physical and logical initialization is performed. The certification process occupying a time more than 99% of the initialization process is an important factor in light of an assurance of data integrity, but it has a drawback in that it requires a considerably long time. Accordingly, such certification takes a long time in the initialization process. Particularly, a DVD-RAM, which is a recording medium having a very large capacity, requires 2 to 3 hours for the initialization process. Moreover, an additional 2 to 3 hours is required when such an initialization for the recording medium is performed by a manufacturer of the recording medium, thereby causing a rise in the cost. Further, a recording medium propagated in a state in which the initialization is not performed for the purpose of the low price product, can not record a desired data until a user performs the initialization requiring about 2 to 3 hours. In the rewritable optical disc, a recording face is deteriorated due to the repeated recording and reproduction to thereby increase the number of bad sectors. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide a re-initialization for the recording medium when many bad sectors exist due to the repeated recording and reproduction. As a result, the initialization process of the recording medium requiring a considerably long time has emerged as a problem to be overcome in light of a tendency toward a larger capacity in the recording medium.